A vacuum casting furnace is used to cast a liquid material, such as a molten metal alloy, into a mold. While referred to as a “vacuum” furnace, the furnace may cast in other controlled environments, such as an argon atmosphere. Generally a metal charge is placed in a crucible located in the controlled environment melt chamber and melted into a liquid by using a suitable energy source, such as electric induction power. A mold is transported to and from the melt chamber via a chamber serving as a controlled environment lock since it is generally desirous to maintain the melt chamber at vacuum while molds transition to and from the melt chamber.
There are methods to raise and lower a mold through a mold lock chamber to deliver the mold to the melt chamber, and to remove a filled mold from the melt chamber, respectively, wherein components of the mold transport system are located in the mold lock chamber. However the mold lock chamber presents a severely adverse environment for components of the mold transport system. When metal is poured, molten metal splatter can fall into the mold lock chamber and damage or degrade these components. Occasionally a mold will crack while in the melt chamber, or mold lock chamber, and metal leaking out of the mold can severely damage these components. Additionally the environment of the mold lock chamber is generally hot and contains particulate, which results in decreased life and increased maintenance of the components of the mold transport system.
One object of the present invention is to provide a mold transport system with components that are located outside of the casting furnace.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mold transport system with components that are easily accessible and maintainable, and that will have a relatively long life even if installed in the casting firnace.